T4 front top strut mount nightmare

[kieran40]

Originally Posted by stephenjoyce

Hi does it jacked up and on the ground

When the car is elavated in the air do youre bottom bolts up, then slowly use a jack to push the strut up towards the strut housing, it will hold it in situe while you turn the top of the strut to line up the holes.do the nuts up and release the jack,i put an axle stand underneath the wishbone while i torqued every thing up.

[pierremcalpine]

Originally Posted by kieran40

When the car is elavated in the air do youre bottom bolts up, then slowly use a jack to push the strut up towards the strut housing, it will hold it in situe while you turn the top of the strut to line up the holes.do the nuts up and release the jack,i put an axle stand underneath the wishbone while i torqued every thing up.

Just to be clear - I think we may be confusing Stephen here with lining up different holes in different steps:

1) the first thing to do BEFORE PUTTING TENSION BACK IN SPRING is to make sure that the SINGLE HOLE at the bottom of the strut itself (located on the horizontal metal plate that surrounds the cylinder) is lined up (or 20deg off for sport) with the top hole which the tab in the rubber ring fits into once it is installed. The only tricky part to this is that unless your springs have the nice rubber sleeves installed at the bottom of the spring (the Volvo ones do) the spring may slip around a little as the tension is released. You have to keep your eye on them to make sure they still end up sitting in the tab. You also have to make sure that as you release the tension the stupid bearing doesn't slide out of place and sit lop-sided at the top. You'll be able to clearly see this if it happens. Stephen - if there was previously an indentation in the rubber ring I think you are probably doing this part right but easy enough to eyeball even once the struts are back in the car as you will be able to feel where the rubber tab comes through at the top and you will also be able to see the hole in the bottom mount.

2) When re-installing the re-assembled strut in the vehicle just make sure the bracket at the bottom of the strut faces outwards. Then insert the strut upwards into the three bolt holes and tighten the three bolts by hand. Don't worry too much about the bottom spindle bracket being exactly aligned because a) you will be able to spin the strut (using some degree of force) once the nuts have been put on the three bolts to line in up with the spindle and b) you will be able to manoeuver the spindle somewhat to line it up with the bracket.

Not that it really matters but I would suggest hand tightening the top three nuts first and then inserting the spindle upwards from below using the jack. When doing so BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSHOOT AND LIFT THE SPINDLE TOO HIGH when trying to line it up with the first of two bolt holes. If you do so you will run the risk of tearing the CV boot. Once you have one bolt through release the tension on the jack and simply rock the spindle back and for while inserting the second bolt at the same time to get it to go through.

Hope this helps.